[frostfire]

Originally Posted by Box

I'm wondering if China really set out to "gain" anything tangible or if they are just 'probing' to see what they can get away with. Its no secret that they are zealously chasing regional and global dominance. If you are just trying to assert regional dominance, you don't always need to gain something - there are times when just being a unrepentant asshole on the global stage is all you need to do to assert that dominance.

Most politics are just the culmination of spoiled rotten little children getting increasingly larger yards to play in - politicians do exactly what little kids do to one another. Show your ass and wait to see what kind of attention you get - mission complete.
If world opinion is tougher than you expected - so be it, at least you know where the 'line' is. If the world is busy watching the USA burn because some cops fucked up a few criminals - well, push a little further next time. Just like children, politicians are always pushing to find out where that red line is...
...Obama had a red line but nobody really gave a fuck.


Lets enjoy a little metaphoric exchange between two high school toughs on cheese burger day at the cafeteria - lets call them Chino and Indy...

-Chino could assert dominance by knocking Indy's lunch on the floor - that makes a mess and may cause other problems.

-Chino could ask politely, "that looks like a tasty burger. Ain't never had one myself. How are they? You mind if I try one of yours?"
then after taking a big sloppy bite of Indy's burger, Chino could ask for a sip of his tasty beverage - and then slurp it dry.
Nope, lets not do that we ALL know how that story ends.

-Chino could just walk up and take one of Indy's french fries; literally eat some of his lunch.

All of them say the same message - I will invade your space as I see fit. In a culture that tends to revolve around the concept of 'saving face' - invading someones space (even shitty space with no apparent value) can cause tensions to rise. Here in the good ole USofA we are right in the middle of a classic shit-show; how many Americans are really paying attention to a simple little border clash.

The USA just this year surpassed China as India number one trade partner. You want to complicate the US election even more?
Start "eating Indy's french fries" and see which candidate blinks.

Joe Biden will be on Winnie Xi Pooh's lap like a fat kid on a cupcake.


China knows it - and they are going to exploit it.

I'm eagerly waiting for Box's Amazon best seller!

Geopolitics for Dummies: International Relations through the lens of Kindergarten